Future of th electricity system II

A transition to an electricity system based entirely on renewable energies by 2050 is possible - despite the additional demand for electricity resulting from the decarbonisation of the transport and heating sectors in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent compared with 1990 levels. The electricity required can be generated from renewable energy sources in Germany in a way that is compatible with nature.

This is the conclusion of the study "Future Electricity System II - Regionalisation of Renewable Electricity Generation", which Prognos and the Öko-Institut prepared on behalf of WWF Germany. The study was presented to the WWF in Berlin on Tuesday, 16 October.

The study forms the second part of an outlook on the electricity system after 2035. The most undefined part showed how the electricity system must be redesigned by 2050 so that the German electricity industry can play its part in achieving the Paris climate targets. The focus was on the ratio of fossil to renewable power generation and the resulting phase-out of coal-fired power generation by 2035.

The current study shows: From a technological point of view, the transition to an electricity system based entirely on renewable energies can be shaped in many ways. The electricity system costs differ only insignificantly in the different variants examined.

For a successful implementation of the energy system transformation, however, up to 2.5 percent of the land area in Germany is required, although this use varies regionally. In order to be able to offer a reliable basis for planning, the question of land use must be clarified uniformly today. All in all, a nature-compatible energy transition is possible in Germany.

Read the study (PDF, in German, wwf.de)

Questions and answers (PDF, in German only)

Authors:

Hanno Falkenberg (Prognos AG), Dr. Felix Chr. Matthes, Franziska Flachsbarth, Charlotte Loreck, Hauke Hermann, Vanessa Cook (Öko-Institut), Henrik Maatsch (WWF Deutschland)